A party to remember as the anniversary celebrations start

Fleckney & Kibworth Running Club held their annual presentation evening '“ a particularly special night as they are celebrating it's 10th anniversary this year.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Feb 2017, 15:15 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 08:38 BST
The prize winners at Fleckney & Kibworths presentation night show off their awardsThe prize winners at Fleckney & Kibworths presentation night show off their awards
The prize winners at Fleckney & Kibworths presentation night show off their awards

There were a number of members who have been with the club from the beginning, with Dave Wheeler being deservedly presented with a framed club vest in recognition of his instrumental role in setting up the club. Wheeler also said a few words to congratulate the club on how it is thriving at the moment, especially the particularly healthy social environment. He then presented a special award to Stacey Voss, another founder member, in recognition of his continued commitment to the club and the effort he has made over the years. Numerous club members received their various “Club Standards” certificates, to recognise their race performances during 2016, plus there were the usual club awards.They went to Bernie Owen (Best Female Athlete), Jude Hughes (Most Improved Female and Best Female Performance), Sam Pole (Best Male Athlete and Best Male Performance) and Andy Findlay (Most Improved Male).The Club Member of the Year prize was shared by Mike Turner and Andy Kemp after a tie in the voting.Still in high spirits after their annual celebrations, several runners from F&K took on one of the toughest races in the country as they tackled the Charnwood Hills race. The course starts and finishes at Martin High School, Anstey and covers a total distance of around 14 miles. Despite the rain in the week leading up to the race, conditions underfoot were surprisingly firm and temperatures ideal for running. A large leading group broke away from the rest of the field early on as the runners headed towards Bradgate Park and it was apparent that there were plenty of strong and experienced competitors near the front. The race was very well supported, with large crowds out in force, particularly on the top of Old John where the runners were greeted by loud cheers and lots of encouragement. The finishing times seemed quite fast this year, probably helped by the good conditions and the race was won by Barrow’s Tim Hartley in a time of one hour 30 minutes. For F&K, Sam Pole finished 14th in one hour 40 followed by Lorna Muskett and Mike Turner who came in around the two hour 10 mark. John Redfearn also had an excellent run after much recent training while Lisa Stone, Kat Lovelock and Aileen Collins also ran well in their first race for F&K in quite some time.